Brake fade is a lethal condition on the race track, but for the average road user, it can be an expensive one. At budget brakes, we see a variety of symptoms in our free check-ups that are all tell-tale signs of deterioration due to brake fade.

Everyone has experienced brake fade, and it’s caused by friction. When your brakes heat up, braking performance decreases and as a result, you need to apply more pressure for that same amount of braking. If you’ve ever been driving hard and started to feel that your brakes aren’t working quite as well, then you’ve experienced brake fade.

Normally, it’s not much of a dangerous issue for regular drivers, but it does contribute to premature brake failure and the need for new budget brakes components such as pads and rotors. Unfortunately, if you expose your brakes to overheating often, you’ll find that you end up paying a small fortune for your brake maintenance.

So what’s the solution?

For average drivers with budget brakes and cars for that matter, it’s surprisingly simple really. Instead of relying on the ABS to stop you quickly, learn how to brake safely and slowly. Before ABS, one was taught to feather (apply the brakes gradually) and to use the engine’s braking potential too.

Today, braking skills are practically non-existent, and the reason is because not many driving schools actually teach you advanced braking other than emergency stops. If you want to save money and prolong the life of your vehicle, a great idea is to enjoy an advanced driving course which isn’t only fun, but it’ll teach you to be a fantastic driver.